The original post: /r/explainlikeimfive by /u/rubber_oak on 2024-08-14 23:16:28.

Edit: Thanks to the commenters, I now understand that sixth industrialization is a process of de-specializing the workforce, so that one person works in multiple stages of production. For example, a farmer making jam from their berries and then selling the jam at a farmers’ market would be an instance of sixth industrialization.

My follow-up question is: What’s the point? How does this de-specialization of labor solve the problem of a shrinking (primary sector) agricultural workforce?

Edit 2: The Ken Nakano paper shared by zerooskul explains the point of the sixth industry. The argument is that in a traditional separation of labor, the secondary industry has a hard time processing usable but irregular products (such as ugly pears) from the primary industry. The irregular products are typically destroyed, which is wasteful and reduces the value of the primary labor. Since primary industry workers are better-able to process the irregular products, it makes sense to have them involved in (secondary) processing, so that the irregular products can still be sold in some form. The primary workers might also have a better understanding of what the irregular products can be used for, or how they can be marketed, so it also makes sense to involve them in tertiary industries.

I consider the question resolved.

I think this is an interesting perspective—namely, that division of labor is sometimes inefficient, and can waste the labor of primary industry—and it probably explains why Japan has so many expensive, boutique food products, like wagyu beef and fancy fruits.